Bellator announces $1 million bantamweight grand prix for 2022, eight-man tournament field

Bellator is kicking the new year off with a bang.

The promotion announced Friday night at Bellator 272 that its bantamweight division will be its next weight class to get the Bellator grand prix treatment.

The eight competitors revealed for the tournament field include a variety of Bellator veterans and former champions, along with the two men competing for gold in Friday’s main event: Sergio Pettis, Kyoji Horiguchi, Magomed Magomedov, James Gallagher, Leandro Higo, Patchy Mix, Raufeon Stots, and Juan Archuleta.

Similar to past Bellator tournaments in recent years, a grand prize of $1 million will be up for grabs for the winner.

Pettis and Horiguchi are already slated to meet in the main event of Bellator 272 with Pettis’ bantamweight title on the line. The winner will then carry the belt into the tournament.

The promotion is targeting a start in early 2022 for its latest grand prix, however no date or opening round matchups were revealed on Friday’s broadcast.

Bellator has held four prior grand prix in the Scott Coker era, with the welterweights (2018), heavyweights (2018), featherweights (2019), and light heavyweights (2020) getting the $1 million tournament treatment. Bellator light heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov and former UFC contender Corey Anderson are slated to meet in the 205-pound final in 2022.